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I think more people would go vegan if they knew how cheap and healthy it is! So even if you are unsure about going vegan, just try it for a week to see how much money you will save on groceries (not forgetting how much better you will feel, how many animals you will save and how much kinder to the environment it is)!

I don’t like spending money on food at supermarkets and always loathe anything packaged or processed. Generally, you will find that if you start by buying the basic ingredients for your kitchen cupboard (herbs, spices, grains, cans of pulses etc) and then just top it up with fresh fruit and veg weekly it is quite hard to spend a lot of money anyway! I am constantly thinking of ways to use up leftovers and make the most of everything in the cupboards. I also think it’s important to have a few meals you can throw together in 10 minutes if need be!

I hope to show how even in these times of economic doom and gloom you could easily eat for around £10 a week per person. For £10 you can eat three healthy vegan meals a day with money leftover for some homemade sweet snacks aswell! It is really a lot easier than you think providing you get the right staples in your kitchen cupboards, sometimes I can spend around £5 getting some veg from the local market for a whole weeks worth of food for three people.

Having my ‘store cupboard essentials’ means if I am low on money one week or home from work really late there will always be an easy meal to knock up in the cupboards! So below I have listed the bare minimum I always have stocked, so that I can add to it as needed, or if I can’t afford to add to it, I can make a meal from what is there. Most of the recipes on here will include some of these ingredients, and I will put up a number of recipes that only use the ingredients below, for those ‘thrifty’ weeks!

High temp Oil – for frying, roasting such as sunflower, veg or rapeseed

Low temp Oil – for dressing, healthy frying, any olive/nut oil

Selection of dried herbs – any you like really, my top 3 – oregano/thyme/marjoram

Selection of spices – if you are on a budget, buy more spices than herbs, I tend to use them every day, my top 5, paprika, hot chili powder, garam masala, cumin, coriander

Salt and pepper – try and always get fresh sea salt or salt without anticaking agent – check the label

Vinegar – not just a condiment, use it to give a tang to sauces/dressings or another dimension of flavour to soups and stews, cider vinegar also makes a great buttermilk for cakes! I usually have balsamic and apple cider vinegar

Garlic bulbs – something I use almost daily

Piece of Ginger root -used in thai and indian dishes and always great to have around to make a ginger and fresh lemon hot water, so refreshing! Also has great health benefits – check a few of them here

Chilis – any type you like, bought from a grocers you can get them so cheap! A bag of around 10 costs me 40p from my small local grocer

Pasta – I always have spaghetti and a ‘shape’, try and buy wholewheat if you can, it is much healthier although can be slightly more expensive

Rice – brown is best but again white basmati will do if on a budget!

Marmite – even if you don’t like it as a spread, this baby adds a great deep meaty flavour to soups and stews. Also provides vegans with B12 which we can lack unless we are careful (for more info on this, click here)

Tinned chopped tomatoes – I literally panic if I run out of these, I should buy shares in them I get through so many. Trust me, grab a few cans at a time, generally around 40p for a value can!

Sugar – soft brown sugar is less refined than white, which I try to avoid unless it is for icing!

Instant dried yeast – for bread rising!

Dairy free marg – I like pure margarine which is in most UK supermarkets, but there are other brands like vitalite in most health shops too

Dairy free milk (unsweetened) – soya is under 60p a box in some supermarkets, but you could choose others such as rice, almond, oat and even coconut

Rolled oats – for flapjacks, porridge, biscuits and crumbles. Again try to buy loose from a health food shop to save those pennies

Cornflour – used in baking and thickening sauces, a box will last you a long time and is very cheap

Baking powder and Bicarbonate of Soda/baking soda – be sure to get the two different types, especially if you want to bake!

Tomato puree – can be bought for as little as 35p. I use this all the time, it can help for when you run out of tin tomatoes!

Peanut butter – the ultimate savoury snack with crackers, apple and in cookies and smoothies, also full of protein! Have a peek at more health benefits here

So these are my staple cupboard ingredients, knowing that I have them in stock means I can always rustle something up last minute!

Although it seems like a lot at first to get your cupboard ‘thrifty vegan’ ready a lot of these items will last you several weeks! In the UK this shopping list would set you back around £25 if you bought it all from a supermarket. Cheaper of course is always possible if you hunt around for smaller shops that sell items loose by the scoop.

The only thing I would add to this each week is a selection of my favourite fruit and veggies, again in the UK there are many markets, farmers markets and small independent grocers that offer incredible value compared to the supermarkets. I never buy vegetables or fruit with my regular ‘shop’ as they are so much cheaper from markets and grocers. A weeks worth of potatoes, peppers, broccoli, kale, carrots and oranges would cost me £6 from many markets near me! Buying produce that is ‘in season’ tends to always mean you get more for your money too. Click here for a list of the cheapest fruit and veg by month.